


A Risk Worth Taking

by ladyroxanne21



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Difference, Because of MCD, Eloping, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Reference to Mpreg but nothing on page, dealing with depression, rash decisions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-10 11:49:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14736429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyroxanne21/pseuds/ladyroxanne21
Summary: After the love of his life dies, it takes him years to recover and move on, and then he meets someone new who inexplicably interests him.





	A Risk Worth Taking

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, because of the WARNING! Major Character Death! And the very short list of possible characters, I'm not specifying which one it is. I want that to be the shock it's intended to be, but I also know that a lot of readers just can't handle it, thus the warning. You probably want a box of tissues and a plate of cookies or some ice cream on hand while reading this. THAT SAID, I do believe the story ends on a fluffy note that's worth reading. It wasn't a concept I've done before and I wanted to challenge myself to do something new. I really hope you enjoy this story, despite the MCD.  
> Love you all!

 

“Thanks, Potter, for defending me. I know you didn't have to,” Draco murmured, feeling rather subdued, when he looked up into the mirror and saw that Harry had just entered the Ministry loo. Both of them shook off a sense of déjà vu as Draco finished washing his hands and double checked his appearance. He'd opted for a set of relatively plain black robes that were nevertheless expensive and well tailored – to make a good impression on the Wizengamot.

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, not quite expecting to run into Draco so soon. “Well, er, I meant what I said to the Wizengamot. I don't think you had a choice, and I don't think you should be punished for things Voldemort made you do by threatening your family.”

“Even so, what can I do to make it up to you?” Draco asked, turning to face him directly.

Harry took a moment to do his business so that he could think this over. “Erm, well, what did you have in mind?”

Draco shrugged. “I owe you my life and my freedom, so I think that unless you wanted me to sign over my entire fortune and family estate – anything other than that, I'd probably agree. And honestly, if that actually was your price, my parents would at least consider it. Probably would try to talk you down a lot, but...” he trailed off with another shrug.

Harry finished his slash and shook himself off before putting himself away and zipping up. Then he turned back to face Draco.

“No... I don't really need your fortune, and I'm not sure I could bring myself to live in your Manor – even if you gave it to me, so, no. If I'm honest, I don't really want or _need_ anything. I wasn't expecting payment, I was just doing the right thing,” he explained.

Draco bit his bottom lip in thought, deciding to take a slight risk. He could always pretend he was joking if Harry got upset.

“Well, Potter, if you don't want or need _things_ , what about, erm, letting me _do_ something for you?”

“Such as?” Harry asked curiously. 

Draco couldn't help but look away to hide how interested he actually was. “Oh... such as, I could give you a weekend you'll never forget. Or if a weekend isn't long enough, a week. If it's too long, a single night.”

“Wait!” Harry blurted out and then paused to think this through until it made sense. “Are you... Are you suggesting what I _think_ you're suggesting?”

“Why not?” Draco asked with a carefully careless shrug. “You said it yourself that you don't want things. I think this is actually a perfect solution. I make you forget everything except your name – and maybe even that – for however long you want. Make your toes curl and see stars. Show you how grateful I actually am for... for everything. And then when you've had enough, you can take off and I'll have paid my debts to you.”

Harry had to take a couple of deep breaths to stop from choking on an incredulous gasp. He was floored! He'd never thought  _anyone_ would offer to shag him senseless as a reward for defeating Voldemort, let alone Draco Malfoy. Although, now that he thought about it, there were probably a lot of people that would want to do that. Hmm...

He tilted his head slightly and peered at Draco. “Erm... how exactly would this work?”

Draco straightened up a bit, not that he had been slouching to begin with. “Are you actually interested?”

Harry rubbed the back of his neck again and sighed, sounding a little defeated. “Listen, I didn't have the opportunity to do anything like that since I was always busy with other things – such as being on the run – so... So, well, I  _am_ interested because you're the first to offer. Just as long as you know that I'm going to be terrible at it and, well, I might freak out when I start thinking about, erm, well,” he gestured back and forth between them a couple of times.

Draco smirked at him. “Not a problem, Potter. Those of us that had to keep up appearances had to relieve our stress somehow, and so, I learned quite a bit. I'm confident that I'll be able to make you forget everything – and no, I don't mean via the use of a memory charm.”

Harry looked to the ceiling for guidance, taking a deep breath in. “Alright. As I already asked, how do you see this working?”

Draco dropped all pretense and opted for complete honesty – simply to  _not_ scare Harry away now that it seemed to be a done deal. “We can do this any way you like. Your place, my place, a hotel room. Just let me have five minutes to reassure my parents that nothing is wrong if I don't come home, and then I'll go wherever you want.”

Harry bit his lip in thought. “Well, I don't want to go to your place because,  _well_ ... And I also don't want to go to my place because it's dusty and old and not the sort of place I pictured for, erm...”

Draco gave Harry a small but reassuring smile. “No problem. I think I have the perfect place in mind.”

Harry shrugged. “Alright. Can you just move aside for a moment so that I can wash my hands?”

Draco nodded. “I'll not only move aside, but I'll go talk to my parents. They're probably ready to come check on me by this point anyway. Wait for me at the Apparation point at the end of the corridor?”

Harry nodded in agreement. Draco left and Harry took an extra long time to wash his hands so that he could think. He was strangely calm considering he was shouting in his head:  _I *actually* just agreed to lose my virginity to Draco Malfoy!_

When he felt just a microscopic spec ready, he dried his hands and stepped out of the loo. He tried not to look like an idiot as he passed the three Malfoys – who were having a whispered conference. At one point, it seemed like Draco must have finally convinced his parents that he was going to be fine, because they sighed and sort of shrugged – basically admitting that he was an adult now and there really wasn't anything they could do about it if he wanted to move to the other side of the world.

Looking like he was tempted to sigh in profound relief, Draco walked over to the Apparation point, where Harry was lounging against the wall, trying to seem casual and without a care in the world. Inside, he was still freaking out just a bit. Draco held out his hand.

“Give me your hand, Potter. I know the perfect place.”

Harry sort of twitched his head as he realized that there was a handful of reporters (not to mention the Malfoys) watching him. Determined to  _not_ look over at them, Harry slipped his hand in Draco's and let him take them away. After the queasy weirdness of Apparation faded, Harry looked around the cozy little cottage curiously.

“Where are we?”

“A Malfoy property in the Scottish lowlands,” Draco answered. “It's a sort of vacation cottage – even though it was originally intended as a hunting shack.” He shrugged. “The elves keep it clean and ready for an impromptu getaway.”

Harry nodded in understanding. “I see. Well, this is definitely better than my house.”

Even Draco was feeling a little awkward at the moment. “Well... make yourself at home while I take a bath to wash off the sweat of the day. Unless you want to take the bath with me. It's a rather posh bath after all, plenty big enough for two. Or ten.”

“Erm... yeah. I supposed I'd like that...” Harry wasn't sure which would be worse; waiting out here while Draco bathed (letting his nerves and imagination run away with him), or taking a bath with him, half certain he was going to be pounced on at any moment. At least in the bath, he could grit his teeth, remind himself he's a Gryffindor, and take the initiative if he got too strung out.

“This way,” Draco invited, first gesturing, and then leading the way. 

True to his word, the bath was a highly luxurious thing that could easily accommodate at least ten people. The floor and counter were made out of marble, while the tub itself was set into the floor and seemed to be made out of porcelain etched with gold around the rim. It was already full of water the perfect temperature – which Harry was surprised to discover when he leaned down and stuck his hand in it.

Seeing Harry's puzzled look, Draco chuckled softly. “The elves clean the tub out after it's been used, and then prepare it for the next usage, putting it in stasis so that it remains perfect until someone wants a bath.”

“Ah,” Harry murmured in understanding, thinking that that actually seemed like a brilliant idea.

Draco projected a sense of calm as he unbuttoned his robes. Normally, he'd just magick his clothes off, but this seemed like a bad idea since it might spook Harry, who was acting a bit like a skittish animal. Harry visibly gathered up his courage and pulled off the rather cheap suit he'd bought for all visits to the Ministry where formality was called for.

Once naked and in the tub, Draco pretended to ignore Harry while he washed up using his favorite products.

“That smells good,” Harry murmured, unconsciously inhaling rather deeply.

“Would you like me to wash your atrocious nest of hair?” Draco asked with interest. He had long wanted to get his hands on Harry's hair and force it into submission.

“Sure...” Harry agreed, turning around when Draco twirled his finger in a circle.

Draco took the time to wash Harry's hair thoroughly. It fascinated him to find that it was coarse and wiry. Each strand was a little crinkled, which completely explained why it never lay flat. Once all the shampoo was rinsed out, Draco massaged Harry's neck and shoulders, provoking a rather erotic moan of enjoyment.

When they were both clean – not that they had been truly dirty to begin with – Draco sort of crowded Harry against the side of the tub. “Have you really  _never_ shagged before?”

“Never,” Harry whispered, feeling vulnerable. “I only ever dated Ginny, and when we were, we kissed a lot, but I never really thought about shagging because there were other things on our minds. Studying. Quidditch. I had perpetual detention. There wasn't really time. And then, well... I was on the run. And it's only been a little more than a month since the Final Battle, so it didn't seem like a good thing to just walk up to someone and say: Recognize me? I'm the Savior, want to shag?”

Draco snorted in amusement. “No, I suppose not, although that would probably be effective.” He pressed his lips together and twisted them side to side in thought for a moment before deciding to just go for it. He kissed Harry. A soft kiss at first. A simple kiss that would give Harry a chance to pull back if it was unwelcome, but Harry didn't pull back, so Draco put a hand on the back of Harry's neck and deepened the kiss. After a dozen or so seconds, he slipped his tongue out to draw a line that parted Harry's lips.

“Mmm...” Harry moaned. His eyes were closed and he let himself relax into the kiss. He'd had plenty of practice with Ginny the short time they were going out, and this wasn't all that different, so he could just enjoy the experience.

Wanting to make this good for Harry for so many reasons, Draco took the time to caress Harry sensually. To kiss and lick his chest, nipples, and neck. To stroke long lines up and down his back and grope his arse.

After a long time of just this, Draco insisted that they both rinse off the soapy water from the tub and get out. He then cast drying charms on them before leading Harry to the enormous bed in the master bedroom. The comforter was turned down invitingly and the sheets were an extremely soft brushed cotton. The feel of them made Harry moan – he'd never felt such luxury in his life!

Climbing into bed after Harry, Draco resumed the oral exploration of Harry's body until Harry's breathing was so erratic he was certain he was going to asphyxiate and not even care! Draco eventually concentrated on just one majorly sensitive area; Harry's shaft.

Harry yelped and nearly jumped off the bed because of how unexpectedly good that felt, but Draco kept a firm hold on his hips. Being his first time doing anything sexual – other than wanking – Harry couldn't last longer than two minutes. He groaned in a mix of disappointment (that it was over already) and profound relief because it felt so good. After swallowing it all down, Draco obligingly gave Harry a few minutes to recover by shifting to suck on Harry's neck while slowly but firmly stroking Harry's shaft – which was about six inches long and rather thick, like a fat and juicy sausage.

To Harry's shock, he stayed hard. The continued stimulation to his shaft kept him from deflating even as it wasn't too much to handle. When it became obvious that Harry was able to keep going, Draco shifted again, giving him a few teasing licks to his extra sensitive shaft before moving on to focus somewhere else.

Harry gasped so incredulously that he sounded strangled when he felt a tongue on his arse, starting at the base of his bollocks and going all the way to... He blushed just thinking about it! With one hand still on Harry's shaft, Draco used his tongue and the fingers of his other hand to soften Harry and open him up. Not too long passed before Draco had at least one finger in Harry's arse in a quest to find – Harry gasped again.

“Oh God!”

Draco looked up at him with a smug grin but didn't say anything as he quickly returned to his task. He played with Harry for what felt like hours – to Harry's astonishment.  _Just_ when Harry felt like he was getting close to another orgasm, which promised to be utterly mind-blowing, Draco stopped what he was doing and shifted until he could kiss Harry again. He pressed his long, thin, and well-oiled shaft against Harry's hole, pausing before entering him.

“So, erm, this might be a bad time to mention this, but, erm, well, even though I _did_ play around quite a bit and learn exactly what I was doing, I never actually shagged anyone,” Draco confessed, looking away to hide his embarrassment. “Which means that even though I know the basic mechanics of it, this might, erm, not feel, erm, the best.”

Harry bit his lip in indecision. Prior to this exact moment, he was so focused on enjoying everything that he hadn't really thought about what was going to happen next. Therefore, he had sort of assumed that when they finally got around to shagging, it would be  _him_ shagging Draco. Even so, now that they were literally shaft to arse, Harry was curious enough to give it a try.

“I, erm, I think you've done everything you can to make this work the way it's supposed to, so, erm, g-g-go ahead and, erm...”

Draco chuckled softly, finding it adorable how embarrassed Harry seemed to get even just talking about shagging. With another soft kiss, Draco did as suggested and slowly pushed into Harry. Harry had to take slow and purposeful breaths, but when Draco got as far as he could go, it amazingly felt pretty good. There was some burn and the stretch had been rather uncomfortable at first, but nothing that would make Harry stop this now.

After pausing to enjoy the feeling of being buried deeply inside someone – groaning at the pleasure – Draco pulled back just enough to begin a slow and steady pace. This was when it occurred to Harry what Draco had actually said.

“So wait! _You're_ a virgin too?!”

Draco snorted softly. “Not anymore.”

“I mean you were. Then why did you make it sound abnormal that I was a virgin?” Harry wondered with a light glare.

“I didn't think you'd trust me to do this if you didn't think I knew exactly what I was doing,” Draco admitted, amazed that he could have a conversation while still thrusting in and out of Harry in a steady pace. It was still rather slow because he didn't want to speed up just yet, but it felt glorious nonetheless.

Harry frowned in confusion. “Okay wait, here's why I'm confused; if you played around enough to know how to do everything up 'til this point, then  _why_ are you still a virgin – were! Whatever.”

Draco paused with a mildly frustrated sigh. “I'm not sure I should answer that until we're done.”

“Why not?” Harry asked, puzzled.

“Because if I tell you, you're either going to take it the wrong way and completely freak out, or you're going to take it the _really_ wrong way and Apparate away.”

“So what's the right way?” Harry asked in confusion.

Draco suppressed another sigh and a reluctant groan. Then he rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Fine, I'll tell you, but if you jump to the wrong conclusion, don't blame me. I had plenty of opportunity to lose my virginity and came oh so close on more than one occasion, but I wanted to save it for someone special. Possibly for marriage – my parents rather stressed that they'd like me to save it for marriage and I suppose that I hadn't really found anyone special enough to go against their wishes.”

Harry actually  _did_ feel a sense of panic fill him. “Wait! So, wait, you... You were saving yourself for someone special and you... threw that away for me?”

Draco thunked his head on Harry's chest. “Merlin you're a moron!”

“Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!” Harry demanded angrily.

“It means that I _thought_ you'd assume that you were the one I was saving it for and Apparate away. Instead, you assumed that I'm wasting what's actually a rather excellent opportunity. Salazar! Since you're so astoundingly dense, I can confess all my evil plans to you and you won't even understand what I'm saying. After I shag you senseless _this_ time. I'm going to tie you to the bed, force you to drink a fertility potion, and then shag you senseless all over again. _You,_ Harry Potter, are going to carry my precious Malfoy heir so that I'm guaranteed that my child will be protected from all the hate that is directed at my family.”

Harry pressed his lips together and tilted his head as he thought this over. “Are... Are you serious?”

“Utterly,” Draco replied with a deadpan expression.

“Erm... I... I suppose...” Harry took a deep breath and sighed. “I suppose I can agree. To that. Just...” It was his turn to look away to try to hide his expression.

Draco was surprised and highly curious now. “Just what?”

Harry still wouldn't look at him. “Actually, I sort of thought I'd save myself for marriage too. And I really want a family of my own, so, if you're planning to get me up the duff, will you at least marry me first? That way, even if we go our separate ways, the baby will be legitimate, which is sort of important to me and I don't even know why!”

Draco put a hand over Harry's mouth to stop him from rambling nervously. “ Are  _you_ serious?”

Harry gathered up his courage and looked Draco in the eye before he nodded in confirmation. Draco was dead certain his hands would be shaking if he wasn't using them to support his weight as he thrust into Harry – which he had stopped doing but was still inside him.

“Alright... I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll finish this because it would be a tragedy to stop now. Then we'll probably fall asleep. In the morning, we'll head a few towns over to Gretna Green. It's _famous_ for couples eloping. If you're still serious about wanting to marry me, we'll get married. And then we'll come back here and I'll proceed with my plan to tie you to the bed and force you to drink a fertility potion,” Draco suggested.

“Do you have it on hand?” Harry wondered.

“Er... yes, actually. I was sort of hoping things would turn out like this – before I even left the Manor this morning. I told myself that if I had an opportunity to thank you, I'd suggest exactly what I did, and then once I had you in my grasp, evil plans...”

Harry chuckled softly. “Slytherin! You know, if you had told me your plans from the beginning, yes, I probably would have panicked a bit and run off, but then I probably would have come back and agreed since, well, I just told you, I want a family of my own and you're offering to give me one just like that.”

“Hmm...” Draco hummed in thought. “Well, good. Now shut it Potter! I'd like to finish this before we die of old age.”

“Wait! I was trying to say that if you have the potion, you should probably just give it to me now. No force necessary.”

Draco felt his eyes go wide in shock. “You...  _now???_ ”

“Why not now?”

“You just said you wanted to be married first,” Draco pointed out.

Harry shrugged. “Yes, but so long as we  _do_ get married tomorrow, I don't see why I can't take the potion now.”

Draco took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He had honestly expected Harry to basically wait until he fell asleep from post orgasm lethargy, and then just Apparate away. Essentially letting Draco  _think_ he was serious when he actually wasn't. With a definitely shaky hand, Draco grabbed his wand off the bed side table – frowning as he wondered when he'd put it there. Then he summoned the potion from the magically expanded pocket of his robes.

Harry took the potion from him with shy smile. For three long seconds, Draco thought for sure that Harry was going to pour it out and then hex Draco for plotting to impregnate him. But no, Harry uncapped the bottle and downed the potion.  _Then_ he frowned and raised a brow.

“Merlin! I probably should have thought to ask this first, but what exactly is that potion going to do to me?”

Draco chuckled. “It's going to make you grow a temporary womb and produce an egg, which will hopefully be fertilized when we finally get around to finishing this. Thus, you'll be pregnant, Potter.”

“Oh...” Harry exhaled in equal parts awe and fear of the unknown.

Deciding not to let Harry dwell on it now, Draco kissed him and resumed his thrusting. This time, he was more confident and let his body dictate the right speed. He got faster and faster until he was positively  _ramming_ Harry into the bed – to gasps and squeals of pleasure – and then he'd slow down and wait for the urge to pass. He wanted his first time to be longer than twenty minutes. Technically, they'd probably already passed that while talking, but still. He wanted to hold out as long as humanly possible.

Eventually he was ramming into Harry again and Harry was clinging to him and begging: “Please! Let me – let me!”

Draco nodded and shifted until he had a hand between them, stroking Harry's shaft as he continued to thrust. This was enough for Harry, who threw back his head and cried out downright pornographically as he pumped out a hot mess between them. The feeling of Harry rippling on his shaft pushed Draco over the edge of no return, he groaned in profound relief as he filled Harry up. When his orgasm faded, he slumped onto Harry, expecting to pass out within seconds.

Except he couldn't.

It hit him that he had  _just_ impregnated Harry. Probably. True that had been his ultimate plan, but he honestly thought he'd have to be sneaky about it. He also thought he'd probably chicken out at the last moment with Harry none the wiser. He hadn't  _truly_ thought that Harry would just agree  _and_ insist on taking the potion  _and_ ask Draco to marry him.

_Fuck_ !!! They had decided to get married! In the midst of losing their virginity, two rash young adult men decided that  _both_ marriage and kids sounded like a brilliant idea. He rubbed his forehead, wondering when he had transferred into Gryffindor.

Harry kissed him. “Stop thinking so hard. We have important plans in the morning.”

Draco nodded in agreement. “Right.”

In the morning, they ate breakfast provided by Draco's personal house elf, and then flew their brooms into Gretna Green. Both kept sneaking uncertain looks at the other, certain the other was going to run off. However, it became something of a challenge, and neither had ever been able to back down from a challenge. They found a man sitting in a lawn chair next to an anvil in his front yard. He grinned at them knowingly.

“You two have the look of forbidden lovers eloping about you. Do you require the services of an officiant?” He asked with a smirk.

“How is this even legal?” Harry questioned as he looked around.

“Scottish laws are rather lax. Used to be all a couple needed to do was declare their intention to be married in front of a witness, then things got a bit stricter and the age limit was raised to 16. You're both at least 16, right?”

They nodded. 

“18,” Draco stated. 

“I'll be 18 in a little over a month,” Harry added.

“Alright then, so long as you are 16 and certain you want to get married, I'm your man. I'm warning you now, it'll be legal, so if you wake up tomorrow and decide that you were a bit hasty, you won't be able to get an annulment – as I'm dead certain you won't be able to keep your hands off each other tonight. Thus, you'll have to go to the trouble of getting an actual divorce. I ask you to take a few minutes to think about if this is what you _really_ want.”

“We have thought about it,” Draco assured him. 

Harry nodded in agreement. “I can't say whether this is a good idea or a huge mistake, but it's what I want.”

“Me too,” Draco murmured softly, looking away to hide the hopeful expression on his face.

“Alright lads, if you're sure. Before I begin, I have a few options for how to do this. The quickest and easiest all around would be if you've ever heard of the code word Hogwarts.”

“Just finished seven years there,” Harry informed him with a small grin.

“Correction, _I_ finished seven years there. _You_ dropped out and ran off for a year before coming back and destroying the castle,” Draco stated a bit snidely.

Harry laughed. “Yeah, I suppose I did, but in my defense,  _I_ didn't actually destroy the castle. Everyone else did!”

The man's eyes flew to Harry's forehead where his hair was actually hiding the famous scar. “Blimey! You're Harry Potter!”

“Guilty,” Harry muttered. Then he turned to give Draco a curious frown. “Erm... we didn't actually talk about names. I want to stay Potter – even though I actually wouldn't mind escaping it for a while. Just... I'm the last of my line, you know?”

Draco nodded. “Just as  _I_ want to remain Malfoy –” 

He was cut off by a gasp. “ _Malfoy_ ???” Obviously the wizard about to marry them hadn't expected this, despite Draco's rather iconic hair and pale skin.

Harry glared at the wizard. “ _We_ are the only ones who can decide if marriage is something we want. Don't you  _dare_ try to talk us out of it because of the name he bears.”

“But... he...” 

Draco fixed one of his most Malfoy looks on his face and stared the wizard down. 

He gave in with a sigh. “Aye. Alright. So, as I was saying, the simplest method all around is to simply cast a marriage spell. Takes about five or ten seconds. Does this sound acceptable to you?”

Both  fianc é s nodded in agreement. With a nod of his own, the wizard conjured a piece of paper and placed it on the anvil. Then he gestured for them to kneel.

“Kneel and place your wand hand on the paper.”

They did as instructed and the wizard cast small and precise cutting hexes on the pads of their thumbs, insisting they leave their hands on the paper until it had absorbed enough blood. Meanwhile, he nonverbally cast the spell that would create the legally binding marriage document. Less than ten seconds later, their minor wounds healed and the paper stated in red ink – er, blood – that the two of them were married as of that day and time.

“Congratulations boys! Will you be needing a room for the night?”

“No, I have a cottage nearby,” Draco informed him. “How much do we owe you for your services.”

“Fifty Galleons,” he stated.

Draco nodded and summoned that amount out of his pocket. He handed it over as he accepted their copy of the marriage certificate. “Come Harry, let's go, er, celebrate.”

Harry snickered. “Consummate.”

“That too,” Draco admitted with a smirk. He held his hand out for Harry to take.

Which was the start of the hands down  _best_ weekend of Harry's life!

 

***

 

After a literal honey _moon_ – meaning remaining in seclusion for an entire month doing nothing but eating, drinking, and shagging (and bathing and sleeping as necessary) – Draco received a howler from his mother to come home already before she decided it was necessary to cast a tracking spell on him and hunt him down. 

Unlike Draco, Harry had sent Patronuses to his loved ones to reassure them that he was still alive and well, simply, erm, busy. Thus they didn't send him howlers. With a reluctant groan, Draco admitted that his mother seriously would track him down and burst in on them – likely in the middle of an embarrassing shag – if he didn't go home and reassure his parents that he was fine. Between kisses, they decided that they would split up and visit their respective families. Then – when they could make an escape – they'd meet up in Diagon Alley to buy a set of rings from the Enchanted Jewelers.

With a few more kisses, they each went their separate ways.

 

***

 

Ron was gaping so incredulously that his jaw was nearly touching the floor. “You...  _Married_ the ferret?!?!”

“Yep,” Harry confirmed, handing over his copy of the certificate – which Draco had cast a duplication charm on so they'd each have a copy.

“But..... _Married_!!!” Ron protested, not sure what else to say.

Hermione laughed softly and gave her boyfriend a kiss. “You really  _never_ saw this as a possibility?”

“You _did?_ ” Harry asked in surprise.

Hermione simply smirked at him and shrugged.

“I did,” Ginny muttered with just a hint of petulance in her voice. Then she hugged Harry and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks Gin,” Harry murmured, surprised that she wasn't making a bigger fuss.

“Oh Harry,” Molly said with a shake of her head. “Always so impetuous. Rather than elope, you should have come to me and let me plan a wedding. Oh well. What's done is done. Can I at least plan a reception?”

“Oh, erm... I'll have to ask Draco what he wants. I think we'd agreed to keep this more or less a secret until our first anniversary – at which point, we'll hopefully know if we work or if... well, if we've filed for divorce.”

“Oh Harry,” Molly repeated, pulling him close for a hug. “At least invite him over for dinner so we can have a small and private celebration.”

Harry snuggled into her. “Thanks. I will.”

“Nope, no way! I just don't believe it!” Ron burst out. “You're having us on, for some reason.”

Harry checked his pocket watch – a present from Molly for his 17 th birthday, the reminder of which made him snuggle her again. “Well, it's almost time to meet up with Draco in Diagon Alley. You could always come with and watch as we pick out rings.”

Ron held up a hand, clearly trying to wrap his head around this information. “So wait... You're saying that you fell in love and eloped with  _Draco sodding Malfoy_ – A MONTH AGO! What the buggering hell happened?!?!”

Harry rubbed the back of his neck and looked away nervously as he ground the toe of his right shoe into the floor. “Erm... well... I don't really think it was love at first. Just... Curiosity, I suppose. He offered, erm... and I thought:  _why not_ ? And then we sort of decided to elope the next morning...”

Ron looked a little impressed. “That good, was he?”

Harry gave him a brilliant grin. “You have no idea! Why do you  _think_ we've been in seclusion for an entire month?”

“Ha!” Ron snorted, easily able to believe that much, at least.

“Oh Harry,” Hermione lamented, taking a turn hugging him and kissing him on the cheek. “Just know that if he breaks your heart, Ron and I will make sure he disappears and is never found again.”

“Too right!” Ron agreed with a fervent nod.

“Ron!” Molly protested with a disapproving tut.

“What?!” Ron asked in exasperation.

“But you do think it's love now?” Hermione pressed in concern.

Harry nodded, blushing just a little. “I really do. I could go on and on describing all the things that make my heart beat faster, but I think that maybe the best description of why I think it's love is that we've been apart less than an hour and I already feel like I'd readily murder a little old lady if she was standing between us, blocking my way as I was trying to get to him.”

It was Ginny's turn to snort in amusement. “Try not to do that. That would really put a damper on your marriage as you'd be sent to Azkaban.”

“Right?!” Harry both asked and agreed with a laugh.

Ginny tilted her head toward the fireplace. “Well come on then. We can go waste a bit of time in George's shop while you wait for Malfoy to arrive. And  _we_ can tell George the news and let him take the mickey out of you!”

Harry rolled his eyes but didn't argue as this seemed like a brilliant suggestion. Not the heckling part; the getting to Diagon Alley as soon as possible part. They took the floo and Harry chose a spot right in the window of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes so that he could keep an eye out for Draco. George heckled him, but he didn't hear most of it until George forced him to turn around and pay attention.

George and Ron took turns complaining that they didn't have a chance to throw Harry a proper stag do. They went into excruciating details of things they could have done. Harry tried his best to pay attention – especially since both Ginny and Hermione were getting in on the planning (it seemed like they might throw him a belated stag do anyway) – but his eyes kept drifting out the window.

Suddenly Harry gasped and spun around. Draco was standing a bit down the street but looking straight at Harry. He looked like he was considering actually going into George's shop, and very carefully weighing the pros and cons. The cons seemed to be far outweighing the pros – which was basically that Harry was in there. With his friends, which was definitely a con. Once he noticed Harry looking at him in return, he smiled and pointed at the Enchanted Jewelers.

Grinning like a mad fool, Harry nodded. Then he realized that his friends had fallen silent. He looked at them a bit warily.

“Blimey! It real!” Ron burst out, still rather incredulously.

Harry chuckled softly. “I told you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something important to do.”

“Are you going to kiss him in the middle of Diagon Alley in front of everyone?” Ron asked, inexplicably fascinated by the prospect.

“I dunno,” Harry muttered with a shrug. “Probably not since we hope to keep this a secret from the public for while longer. But if I get carried away and just can't help myself, I suppose that I can resign myself to the fact that the media was likely to figure it out sooner or later anyway.”

He turned toward the exit to the shop. Just as he opened the door, he saw two people in fully covering white robes with hoods and glamours to conceal their features jump out in front of Draco. They pointed their wands at him and shouted. “Death Eater scum!” Just before casting cutting hexes at his throat. They were aiming for his jugular veins.

But they were quite a bit more enthusiastic than they intended. Their hexes met up and...

Harry pressed a hand to his chest and made a couple soft little sounds that suggested that he couldn't breath enough to even gasp. He watched as first Draco's head fell to the ground, and then the rest of his body followed it. The world seemed to stop and Harry felt an interesting sensation like a fire broke out all over his skin, but... then sort of cooled off a little and settled *in* his skin. He still couldn't breathe and felt extremely woozy.

His friends had witnessed this through the window. Ron gently pushed Harry aside and ran after the White Robes until they Apparated away and he couldn't follow them. Hermione had been one step behind him, but Ginny and George both decided that Harry needed them to hold him. Ginny wrapped in him a tight hug while George rubbed his back. They both knew that the loss was going to hit Harry very soon, and he'd either go utterly mad, or he'd fall apart. Possibly both.

People were screaming in reaction to the sudden and violent attack. Some ran off right away in fear that this was actually a new Death Eater attack, but others gathered closer to see if there was anything they could do to help. There wasn't. It was far too late.

Hermione had a hand over her mouth, feeling like she was about to sick up. She pulled out her wand and cast a Patronus so that she could send a message directly to Kingsley that there had been a sudden and deadly attack on Draco Malfoy in the middle of Diagon Alley. It took about two minutes, but he responded by arriving with a full contingent of Aurors to contain the area and deal with the situation.

“Anyone touch anything?” Robards asked Ron and Hermione. They both shook their heads.

“He's... smiling...” Ron murmured in disbelief as he stared at Draco's severed head.

“He was looking at Harry,” Hermione whispered in his ear. “He may not have even realized what was happening. She pulled his arms around her and forced him to hold her as she cried. She may not have liked Draco, but she never felt he deserved this. Not to mention, Harry was almost certainly heartbroken right now – and NOT because of anything _Draco_ had done.

They gave their eye witness statements, and then with nothing else to do, listlessly drifted back to Harry's side, who was now sobbing and raging inside George's shop behind a powerful silencing and privacy charm. His grief broke all their hearts. He was definitely someone who deserved nothing but happiness, and he always seemed to get pain and suffering instead. Not really knowing what to do, they vowed to be there for him no matter what it took.

 

***

 

Nearly Nineteen Years Later

 

Harry strode into the club. He was beyond happy that he'd finished work for the night. Hell! The week! They'd had a big case and he'd had to put in long hours as Head Auror to ensure that everyone was doing their best at all times. He was  _so ready_ to have a good hard shag and relax.

Lucky for him, his wife had taken their kids with her for the weekend. Therefore, if he found a bloke worth bringing home, he wouldn't have to worry about scandalizing his kids. Although, he was about 80 percent certain that all he really wanted was something quick and highly satisfying so that he could go home and get a good night's sleep.

A young man with brown hair so light that it was probably actually considered dirty blond noticed him and looked rather interested. Harry sighed. Usually if a younger person noticed him, it meant that they were part of the wizarding world and wanted a chance to meet  _the_ Harry Potter. He nearly decided to leave the club, but then decided that if the man gathered up the courage to come chat him up, he'd just sign a quick autograph and send him away.

Meanwhile, there was a decent selection of men and women here tonight. Since this was a sex club that catered to all sorts of kink, it wasn't necessarily a good place to find gay men. That said, a lot of men were either bi-sexual or heteroflexible and willing to play around with a bloke if the offer was a good one. Harry himself was married to a woman and  _did_ enjoy having sex with them, but he was actually closer to gay on the spectrum than not. Meaning that when he wanted to play around with others, he preferred men.

Just when he was exchanging flirty glances with a good looking bloke in his thirties – which Harry still was as well, although probably at least five years older than the bloke – the young blond/brunet man came over and sat at the tall but small circular table with Harry. Harry suppressed a sigh and the urge to roll his eyes.

“Beat it kid, you look like you're the same age as my oldest son!” Harry told him off.

The young man handed Harry one of the two drinks he was holding. “What does that matter? I'm 18 – which means I'm a fully consenting adult.”

“Yeah, well, I'm about to turn 37 next week. Which means that I'm literally twice your age, and you _are_ the same age as my oldest son. I'm not interested. I'd feel like I was robbing the cradle!” Harry informed him.

Cutie sighed. “Listen, I can understand your hesitation and reluctance, but stop thinking about this in terms of age and think about it in terms of opportunity. You came in here tonight looking for a one off with someone as a method of getting rid of the tension you're carrying around like a black cloud.  _I_ am looking for someone to pamper a bit. So – possible shagging aside – why not at least let me give you a bath to wash away the sweat of the day? I can even massage you a little, and if you're still not interested at that point, then we can go our separate ways – each having fulfilled what they were looking for. At least partly.”

Harry narrowed his eyes questioningly. “A bath?”

Cutie gestured toward an area off to the left. “You've never taken a bath here before?”

Harry bit his lip in thought. If he were honest, squicky age difference aside, this man who was barely old enough to be called a man made a quality offer. Harry believed him about his age, knowing that the club wouldn't let him in if he wasn't at least 18 – otherwise they'd get in serious trouble with the law.

After a few seconds of deliberation, he sighed as if in defeat. “Alright. A bath. Maybe a massage. But I make no guarantees other than that.”

Cutie grinned at him so brilliantly that Harry felt an odd warm sensation ripple across his body. Which was probably lust, and Harry had to purposely stop himself from feeling like a bastard for having any sort of lust for a kid – young adult, he corrected himself.

Cutie grabbed Harry's hand and eagerly led him to the posh club bathroom. And in this case, it was a literal  _bath_ room, having nothing but a spacious tub that could fit 10-12 people and some massages tables lining the walls of the large and balmy room. The loos were kept separate for obvious reasons. 

Harry looked around, finding the room a little familiar, even though he had never been here before. It had marble floors and counters – which were stacked with soft and fluffy towels. The tub was set into the floor, and was currently empty (of people, but full of steaming water). A couple was minding their own business off to the side – the woman massaging the man.

Harry had no idea why, but seeing them reminded him of something important. “Aren't you a bit young to be in a place like this?” Because the average guest of the club was at least in their mid twenties, and more often than not, in their thirties or forties. A few were even in their fifties, sixties, and at least one gentleman that Harry had seen met was in his seventies.

Cutie shrugged. “I sort of grew up in this club. My parents are the owners, and while no, I wasn't allowed in here at night for legal reasons, my parents always brought me in here during the day to learn all the little details about how to run the place. Once I turned 18, they basically handed me the keys and told me to take good care of the place while they focused on their other club/B+B out in the countryside.”

“Your parents gave you a sex club?!” Harry blurted out in surprise. “Isn't that a bit... odd...?”

Cutie gave Harry a light sneer that looked so very familiar for some reason. “No. It's proof that my parents love me and trust me enough to run their business for them. It could be so much worse, in my last life, my parents – er, nevermind. You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

Harry harrumphed, not quite able to wrap his mind around this cheeky little bugger that interested him for reasons he just couldn't understand. “Last life, eh?”

Rather than answer, cutie focused on stripping Harry off. Harry could have let the matter drop, but he was actually dying to know what hadn't been said. “What about your last life?”

With a sigh, cutie turned to fold Harry's shirt and lay it in one of the provided baskets. “Well, in my last life, my parents expected me to do some very dangerous things. Don't get me wrong, they loved me too, but they were arguably terrible parents when it came to my safety and happiness.”

“And how do you know this?” Harry wondered curiously.

“I have... memories... or perhaps dreams... of my past life. Just enough to know and appreciate how good I have it now.”

Harry caught his hand and forced him to look Harry in the eye. He also ran a hand through that soft hair. “Hey. If that's true, then I'm happy for you. I had a terrible childhood too, so I made a promise to myself that I'd give my kids everything they ever wanted, even if it meant spoiling them rotten.”

Cutie gave him a rather intense, scrutinizing look for a moment. His gray eyes looked almost silver when Harry looked into them long enough. This sent a strange chill up his spine.

Rather than say anything, cutie finished undressing Harry, and then himself, setting their clothes in the basket before leading Harry into the tub by the hand. True to his word, he did nothing sexual. Instead, he focused on washing Harry's hair and body with something that smelled so good that Harry moaned in pleasure.

After a while, cutie switched to giving Harry a massage on his neck and shoulders. This made Harry chuckle a little wryly.

“Growing up in a sex club must mean that you've learned a lot about how to please a partner.”

Cuties huffed a soft laugh. “I suppose so. Although, I didn't actually come in here when anything interesting was happening until my 18 th birthday, so I'm still just learning the basics.”

“You say that like you only just turned 18,” Harry said, a little confused.

“Well, I sort of did. About a month ago. June 5th.”

Harry felt another chill run up and down his spine. “Are you fucking joking?  _Why_ would you say that?!”

Cutie looked a little hurt and a lot confused. “What do you mean? It's my birthday. Why would I joke about that?”

Harry exhaled a frustrated sigh and shook his head. “Sorry. Nevermind.”

Cuties smirked at him rather devilishly. “Now that you're clean and slightly more relaxed than you were, would you like me to continue this massage on one of the tables, or would you like to come back to a private room with me?”

Harry felt like the lowest bastard who ever lived, but he just couldn't pass up the opportunity this cute little barely legal man was giving him. And actually, even though Harry referred to him as little, he was half a foot taller than Harry. He tilted his head to the side as he nodded.

“Alright... Bring me to a private room, but before you do, at least tell me your name.”

Cutie gave Harry a bright smile. “I'm Eltanin. My parents are amateur astronomy experts, but since the name is sort of weird, I usually go by my middle name – which is Ladon. Also weird, but a little better I suppose.”

Harry frowned, feeling a little, tiny bit freaked out at this point. “Isn't Eltanin...”

“The brightest star in the constellation Draco? Yep! My parents thought that naming me _Draco_ might be a little _too_ weird, if you can imagine! So they went with Eltanin instead, as if that was really any less weird. And Ladon _also_ means dragon. Or at least, it's the name of the dragon that guarded the garden of Hesperides.” He paused to laugh heartily. “And if all of _that_ wasn't enough, our last name is Pendragon. Or in other words, my name is Dragon Dragon Pendragon. My parents sure have a sense of humor!”

“Er...” Harry was starting to have second thoughts about the whole private room and potential shagging thing, but before he could say anything, Ladon finished rinsing them both off, grabbed Harry by the hand, and dragged him to the closest private room – grabbing a couple of towels on the way.

“Wouldn't it be nice if there was a way to do this in an instant?” Ladon asked with a playful smirk as he toweled the excess water off Harry's hair and body. 

Harry didn't respond, simply raising a brow at the cute not-quite-blond with gray eyes.

When they were both relatively dry – except for their hair – Harry let himself be arranged on the bed so that Ladon could continue the massage he was giving Harry. Ladon took the time to massage him until he relaxed a little, and then kissed a path from Harry's neck on down to his shaft. Harry moaned happily in response to one of the best blow jobs he'd ever had.

It didn't take long for Harry to fill that luscious mouth. As he floated from the high of a glorious orgasm, Ladon shifted a little so that he could rim and prepare Harry's tight pucker – one hand still lazily stroking Harry's shaft in an attempt to keep its interest. When Harry realized what Ladon was doing, he harrumphed a laugh.

“Presumptuous, aren't you?”

Ladon paused his task to smirk at Harry. “Oh you know you want to feel me inside you, and don't even try to deny it.”

“What if I'd rather be inside _you_?” Harry challenged.

“Fine, if that's what you really want, but it'll have to wait until I'm done with you because you're already ready.” Ladon proved his point by wiggling his fingers across Harry's prostate and provoking a gasp of pleasure.

Harry couldn't deny this and so remain silent as Ladon shifted into position and oiled up his shaft. The young man wasted no time pushing into Harry – giving him time to open up and adjust to the intrusion. When he was as deep as he could go, he rested his head on Harry's shoulder and let out a happy sigh. 

“I'd forgotten how good that feels,” he murmured.

“Been a while since you topped?” Harry asked curiously.

Ladon blushed and refused to look at Harry. Or answer. Instead, he pulled back just enough to give a good thrust. But Harry wouldn't be deterred. After all, this was the owner of a sex club. He'd probably had a different lover every night since his birthday. He supposed that didn't necessarily mean he'd topped.

“Or do you usually bottom?” Harry pressed even as he shifted just a little to give Ladon the best access possible.

“Can we talk about this later? I'm sort of busy right now,” Ladon asked flippantly.

“You could always stop and finish what I'm realizing is an important conversation we should be having _before_ we shag,” Harry suggested. “Obviously this is a one off, so we don't need to give _full_ sexual histories, but we should probably be responsible enough to make sure we're both disease free and – bugger! I should make you wear a condom!”

Ladon sighed and rolled his eyes. “Fine! I know you won't believe me, but even though I own a sex club, I've never actually shagged ( in this life ) before. I've confined my playing to everything else because I figured I had my whole life to explore my sexuality and there's no particular rush. It's not like my club is going anywhere! Thus, yes, I'm disease free. Which is why I wasn't even thinking about condoms. Sorry.”

Harry chuckled, feeling yet another chill as the similarities just kept stacking up. “Alright. I believe you. I'm also very careful about staying clean. It's not just my health I have to be concerned with, it's my wife's too, so I always use protection when I play.”

“You're _married_?!” Ladon blurted out in dismay, nearly pulling out of Harry, but deciding he liked where he was too much to give it up just yet.

Harry held up his left hand, where a plain gold band circled his ring finger. “Yep. For almost seventeen years now. But I'm not a cheater – if that's what you're worried about. She knows that I like arse more than fanny and lets me have a man whenever I want. She's actually been in this club with me a lot in the past.”

“Oh...” Ladon murmured, only half relieved.

“So anyway,” Harry continued. “Since you're clean and I'm clean, I suppose that I can let you continue without wearing a condom.” He _didn't_ say that he had spells and potions he could use to clear up almost anything should Ladon happen to be lying.

Smiling, Ladon took this as permission to focus on what he was doing. Ladon changed pace fairly often, speeding up and groaning with pleasure until he had to slow down and wait a moment to delay the inevitable. Even so, it was barely an hour later when the end hit them. Ladon was thrusting into Harry just right to stimulate his shaft, and that made Harry tense up and arch his back as he pumped out a mess between them.

“Oh God!” Ladon cried out, the feel of it just too good to resist. He gripped Harry's hips firmly and buried himself as deep as possible as he emptied himself into Harry. “So good...” he groaned in a near whisper.

Harry naturally wanted to take a nap, but forced himself to stay awake until he had enough energy to get dressed and go home. Ladon was frankly amazed that he hadn't passed out, but he hadn't. He curled up to Harry, laying his head on the shorter, older man's left shoulder. He sort of hummed very softly as one finger absently drew swirling patterns on Harry's chest. 

His finger suddenly took a detour to Harry's left thigh. On the outside, there was a tattoo of a large gray dragon sleeping on a cloud that had the word Draco 'tattooed' on it's left shoulder blade. It was a gorgeous picture, but it felt sad somehow.

“Can I ask about this?” Ladon wondered. “I noticed it while I was blowing you, but I decided _that_ wasn't a good time to say anything.”

Harry sighed softly and stroked a hand down his thigh. He normally told anyone that asked that he just liked dragons, except Ginny, who knew the truth behind it. This time, he was surprised to find himself  _wanting_ to talk about it.

“That tattoo represents someone very important to me,” he said softly.

“Oh? Who? That son you talked about?”

“It _could_ – in a way – but no. It's... well, a man named Draco...”

Ladon straightened up to look Harry in the eyes. Curious gray ones met shimmering green ones. Ladon's expression turned to disbelief.

“Draco? Really?”

Harry nodded. “He was the love of my life. We even got married. For one glorious month, life was perfect.”

Ladon returned his gaze to the dragon, feeling a sense of apprehension. He swallowed nervously. “And then what happened?”

“He was murdered by insane men who thought he'd done some bad things he never actually did. He simply was around the sort of people who _did_ do the bad things,” Harry explained.

Ladon was quiet, biting his lip in thought. “I'm sorry...” he finally decided to say.

“Not your fault. Besides, it happened almost 19 years ago now. I'm..... no longer traumatized, I suppose. I was for a long time. I couldn't function at all for nearly two years. In that time, er...” he sighed. It would be tricky to explain this bit.

After a moment, he decided to try. He had no idea  _why_ he wanted to talk about it, but he did.

“To begin with, when we got married, we, erm, found a surrogate... to have a baby. Draco was the father and, erm... well, once our son was born – on April 14th – I was still too much of a wreck to truly care for him. So Draco's parents took legal action to get custody of our son. I hadn't even pulled myself together long enough to name him, so I had _no_ ability to defend myself in court. They were awarded custody and named him Scorpius – another constellation, I'm sure you know.”

“And a rather interesting name,” Ladon murmured with a soft smile, staring at and tracing Harry's dragon with a finger. “I'm sad that your son was taken away from you.”

“It wasn't forever. I mean I never did regain custody of him, but once I pulled myself together and started living my life again, they let me have as much visitation with him as I wanted, so I saw him all the time.” Harry ran a hand through his hair, smiling just a tiny bit. “It was actually Ginny that helped me live again... 

“She – well she _was_ a famous sport player for a while, but she suffered an accident that injured her shoulder badly enough that she could no longer play. So, she came to me and told me that she felt this was fate's way of saying that we were meant to be together. That we should get married and be a family. I think I just numbly agreed at first because what else was I going to do?”

Harry sighed, feeling both morose and grateful. “She forced me to participate in life. She made me help her plan the wedding, and then when she got pregnant, she made me be there for every moment of her pregnancy. Strangely, the anticipation of the son she carried got to me. I...  _woke up_ – if that makes sense. And once I was awake, I made a vow to do whatever it took to hunt down Draco's killers and bring them to justice. So I became an Au – er, a police officer. I worked hard and eventually did find those killers and arrest them. But by then, I was,” he paused to chuckle. “Promoted to Deputy Head, and I couldn't exactly just quit. So I kept on working hard. I'm the Head of the department now.”

He shrugged. “And Ginny continues to keep me sane by loving and supporting me. We have three kids who also keep me sane. Without them, I'd probably just quit my life and become a vagrant or...”

“Commit suicide?” Ladon asked very softly.

“Maybe,” Harry agreed with an indifferent shrug.

Ladon gave Harry a soft kiss. “And this man was the love of your life even though you'd been married to him only a month when he died and you've been married to a wonderful woman for – 17 years, you said? Shouldn't  _she_ be the love of your life.”

Harry nodded and sighed. “If life was fair, she would have been from the time we dated back in school, but I had come to realize that I might be attracted to arse, and so after I broke up with her and she hinted that we should get back together, I sorted of avoided the whole thing. Then when Draco offered me pretty much everything I ever wanted, I decided to take it with both hands and basically jump blindfolded off a cliff into bliss – or insanity, depending on your perspective.”

“Was he worth it?” Ladon asked in a soft and tender voice. He almost sounded afraid of the answer.

“Yes,” Harry stated with a nod. “Despite all the bad, if I went back in time to warn my younger self what was going to happen – the day that I took his hand; in essence giving me a choice to change my future... I'm dead certain that I would have still chosen to suffer years of depression after his death just to experience that month of joy. After all of this time, and all of the _good_ things that have happened to me over the years, that month really is the best part of my life.”

Ladon kissed Harry again. “I hope I find someone like that some day. Not... not the bad parts, but the good parts, you know...?”

Harry nodded in understanding. “You're still very young. You have your whole life in front of you. You'll find someone.”

“And... what if I want that someone to be you, Harry?”

Harry shook his head. “I can't be with someone the same age as my son. Not to mention, I wouldn't want to tear my family apart for... hang on! I don't remember telling you my name. Are you actually a, erm...” He wasn't certain he should talk about wizards to a muggle, just in case he was mistaken. “Fan, that you recognize me?”

Ladon shook his head. “No. I'm not a wizard and I didn't recognize you because you're famous. I'm quite thoroughly a muggle and so is my entire family. It's just...”

Harry felt his whole body shiver. “You said you remember your last life...”

Ladon nodded. He wouldn't look at Harry now. “Listen, I understand. The age thing is huge. I don't blame you for refusing my suggestion. I'm going to leave the room now and let you get ready to leave in private. If I happen to see you in this club in the future, I'll pretend like I've never met you before.” He sat up and shifted toward the side of the bed.

Harry grabbed his hand and yanked him back into bed. “Are you saying...? Are you saying what I  _think_ you're saying?”

“You got upset when I told you my birthday,” Ladon murmured. “And it's because it's not just _my_ birthday, but _his_ too. I was a pureblood wizard and I went to Hogwarts for seven years. I remember those things vaguely. I know I was a... bad... person. I have dreams about you, but I don't remember how I died. I figured that it must have been murder or something because my memories end abruptly. I'm glad I had a chance to meet with you again and find out what happened to me. I think... I think I can probably forget about the whole thing and move on now. Although I'm even _more_ tempted to visit my parents at the Manor now, but I'm a muggle, so I probably wouldn't be able to even _see_ it.”

Harry pressed a finger to his lips. “Hush a mo and let me think.”

They were both quiet as Harry thought. Ladon realized that he was in Harry's arms and that it was now Harry absently drawing swirls on his skin, but he couldn't bring himself to care. The truth was that he had been  _powerfully_ attracted to Harry. So much so that he had jumped at the chance to talk to him and offer him whatever he wanted just so he might, well, do exactly what he'd done. Shag Harry, but more importantly, talk to him about what had happened.

His memories were vague toward what must have been the end of his life. He remembered kneeling next to Harry in front of an anvil – but he had no idea why. He also remembered them shagging. A LOT! But he hadn't known they'd had a son. That in and of itself was mind shattering!

“What was Draco's secret mission for Voldemort in Sixth Year?” Harry asked abruptly.

“What? Why –” 

“Just answer!”

Ladon closed his eyes and thought it over. “Erm... there was something about fixing up a stupid bloody cabinet, but... murder... I was suppose to murder someone...”

“Who?” Harry asked suspiciously.

“... The Headmaster...”

“Oh God! It's really you!” Harry gasped as he smothered Ladon in a hug.

Ladon pushed him away halfheartedly. “Yes. And no. I told you, my name is Eltanin Ladon Pendragon. I have a few memories from my last life – especially when I  _try_ to remember something – but I'm not that person anymore. As much as I... feel things for you – things that are probably from  _him_ – and as much as I'd love for you to try being with me... I'd want you to be with  _me_ .”

“Which is only fair,” Harry murmured in agreement. “I have to think about this – somewhere other than naked in bed with you.”

Ladon nodded in understanding. He pulled free from Harry's arms and slid out of bed. Harry watched him go, feeling like a part of his heart was going with him. It was confusing!

 

It took Harry a month to think everything through. He told Ginny and despite her very real concern that this would end badly, she encouraged him to take things slowly –  _very_ slowly – but form an actual relationship with Ladon. If it worked out and he continued to prove that he's Draco reincarnated, then... Maybe it was fate.

Her only other concern – and to be honest, it was his big concern as well – was what would happen if James, Albus, and Lily found out about this highly unusual relationship before Harry was certain that it was real and that it was going to last. Not to mention Scorpius!

Oh... that was going to be so hard to explain...

 

Ladon wiped down the bar. He was filling in for one of the bar tenders tonight since he was the manager and hadn't been able to find anyone else willing to cover the shift. The good news was that it was a rather slow night – being Wednesday. 

Someone approached the bar and Ladon looked up with a friendly smile. His smile faded just a little when he realized that it was Harry. Then he decided to do as he'd promised; pretend that they'd never met.

“Can I help you, sir?”

Harry smiled at him and sat on a barstool. “I know it took me a while, but I finally made a decision.”

“Oh?” Ladon asked with interested that he tried to hide. “And?”

“And I'm certain. I want to try having a relationship with you,” Harry explained.

Ladon couldn't help but grin at that.

“It's not going to be exclusive – I'm still married after all – but if it works out between us, I'll commit to you as much as I can. I said _if_! There's probably a _lot_ going against us. Our age difference, the fact that you're _not_ the man you were, the fact that you sort of are. It's a lot to deal with, but if... well, if it's fate... I'd like to think I have the courage to at least accept it,” Harry informed him gently but honestly.

Ladon grinned and ran around the bar to throw his arms around Harry's neck. “I don't care about any of that! I just want you!”

With a feeling like he was surrendering to the inevitable, Harry kissed him. It was a tender yet passionate kiss that ended with Harry resting his head against Ladon's. If this was fate, maybe they'd finally get the happily ever after that they deserved.

It was a risk they were both willing to take.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, note, I'm probably not going to continue this story, but just know that I *always* think Harry and Draco belong together, so that's how they end up. :-)


End file.
